Until The End
by Sayuri Mai
Summary: Two fox demons must face their pasts in order to not only save their homeland from the evil clutches of Naraku but themselves as well. Yuri with her strange and horrible curse discovers the truth behind her birth. Umi must face the fact that she may not be as in control as she thought. Inuyasha belongs to its creator but the general plot and OC's belong to me!
1. Prologue

Prologue

A young ebony haired girl sniffled quietly in the darkness of her bed chambers, a fresh bruise just starting to form underneath the snow like skin of her cheek. A soft thump of a familiar pair of feet landing on the wood floors several feet in front of her. "Hey, why are you hanging out over there?" A slightly higher pitched young girl's voice asked in between a mouthful of bread. Most likely stolen from the kitchen no doubt. "Umi? Hey I asked you what-"The girl stopped as her sky blue eyes adjusted to the darkness and saw the purple bruise on her lady's face. "What the hell is that!? Who did that to you!?" Her blue eyes darkened in sudden outrage at the slight possibility that her friend had been harmed while she was supposed to be watching her.

Umi turned away and covered her cheek with the sleeve of her silk kimono, wiping away the tears that had started to form in her steel grey eyes. "It's nothing Yuri. Don't worry about it. I just fell down and it hurt." Yuri's brow furrowed, not believing her friend entirely but knowing when it was best not to follow up. Her black tipped white fox ears slightly pulled back in annoyance as she knelt down to Umi's level. "Wanna get out of this dump?" She smiled brightly, tiny fangs gleaming in the low light. "Yeah. Where to this time?" Umi asked as they proceeded to exit in Yuri's favorite route, through the window of course. Yuri stopped for a moment to think, the breeze lightly carrying the scent of the village below on the air. "I don't know. Let's go exploring through the forest and see what kinds of things we can find." Umi noticed a deep gash on the back of Yuri's neck that was partially covered up with her short black bob of hair.

But just as Yuri knew to keep her thoughts to herself for the most part at least, so did Umi and she kept her lips sealed about what might've happened to Yuri earlier on in the day. The villagers didn't care much for Yuri, not even her own parents had wanted her, saying she was a disgrace to fox kind simply because she was a little different than the rest of them. Umi knew, along with the rest of the village, what Yuri's full demon form truly looked like. But unlike the others who couldn't look past the outward appearance of her true form, Umi could see the untapped potential in her friend and body guard. Following alongside the agile and swift white fox kit they made it quickly to the edge of the village without being detected by anyone else.

"Come on! You're lagging behind here!" Yuri taunted, a challenge in her blue eyes that Umi knew all too well. "You know you always lose Yuri so why even bother?" The young girl chuckled slightly and picked up the pace. "You never know! Today could be the day you eat my dust!" Umi smirked, knowing all too well that there was no way a two tail like Yuri could ever hope to win in a race against a nine tail such as herself. Regardless she still thought it'd be a much sweeter win if she let Yuri get a little ahead before forcing the kit to eat her words. As they ran Yuri's eyes gleamed with a light that only really came out when she was running full force. It was almost as though running allowed her the freedom to be herself that life in the village never could.

Umi understood that same feeling of freedom. After she noticed Yuri's stamina starting to wane slightly she smirked and took her chance to steal the win. "Ugh! Ok maybe not today but someday!" Umi shook her head with a soft smile at her friend's determination. Yuri flopped down onto the nearest soft patch of bright green grass with a sigh. "You know I wish I had brothers like you do so I could go running around all the time with them. Not that you're no fun or anything Umi." Without realizing it Yuri had suddenly stepped on a landmine. Umi's eyes narrowed slightly, at the remark. "No you don't. Brothers suck." Yuri shrugged her slender shoulders not noticing the dangerous waters she was wadding into with the topic. "I don't know. I think it would be pretty awesome to have someone else related to me that I could hang out with. You're pretty lucky I think." Umi's eyes watered in anger. "If you want them so badly then you can have them!" Yuri jumped in surprise at the amount of rage in her friend's voice and before she could say anything Umi was off.

"Wait! Get back here or you'll get lost again! Umi! Wait!" Yuri rushed after her young leader in training, not knowing what she had done wrong but not wanting her to be alone. She knew there would be no way for her to catch up to the powerful nine tail but in spite of it all she carried on. Until she noticed the first drop of rain hit the tip of her nose. "No…damnit! No!" Yuri cried as she hurried on. Umi's feet barely hit the ground as she ran, tears streaming uncontrollably from her pale face. She didn't know exactly where she was going but she did know that Yuri was somewhere behind her as always. She knew that it wasn't Yuri's fault for making her upset and that she didn't do it on purpose but she wished that sometimes Yuri wasn't so dense. Couldn't she tell that there was something going on? Without realizing it she tripped over a tree root that was hidden from her sight. The first few drops of rain hit her warm skin on her bruised cheek. Picking herself up she didn't immediately realize that there was someone else standing there watching her with enraged eyes.

"Don't you dare move another muscle demon scum!" Umi lifted her grey eyes in surprise at the small human girl that wasn't much taller than herself in what looked to be like a tiny version of a priestess outfit. There was a strange scent attached to the human that she hadn't recognized before but it was certainly a powerful aura and not one that she felt she should be messing with in her current state. Although her fox demon pride got the better of her mouth. "Who do you think you are talking to? I am Umi! Now get out of my way…please." Umi stood and faced the young human girl.

The girl glared in disgust as she pointed a wooden arrow towards her threateningly. "Die demon!" The human shouted as the clouds unleashed their burden upon the world. The arrow just barely grazed her neck, severing the bell that had been tied around her throat by Yuri so she could keep track of her. Realizing that this little girl meant business, Umi did the only thing she could think of. She ran. The pain from whatever poison that was in the arrow was slowing her down and the thick mud pulled at her tiny feet. In the back of her mind she wondered where Yuri was and why had she run away from her body guard in the first place. The human girl followed her diligently all the way into a clearing where an old wooden well was located. Another arrow whizzed past her head. It was good thing this girl was a lousy shot otherwise a few inches to the left and she would end up with a hell of a headache. Umi hurried toward the well looking back at the strange human girl and not paying attention to her footing. Her foot slipped on the slick mud, landing her face first down the well, as she fell her head smacked the hard side and blackness consumed her vision…


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

A shrill bell jolted Umi awake from her day dream and she rubbed her steel grey eyes. A soft jingle of her bell around her neck as she lifted her head from the small wooden school desk she had made a temporary bed out of for the main part class. Well that was a waste of time. Now how was she supposed to help Kagome with her homework? Standing up along with the other students dressed in white and green uniforms she grabbed her things and walked to the front of the class where the teacher was busy erasing the lecture from the black chalk board. "Excuse me, might I have Kagome's homework? She's home sick again." The teacher sighed heavily and handed over a packet with Kagome's name written on it. "Here you go. I swear Kagome never used to be so sick all the time. Make sure you hand those back to me when she gets done with them. Also there is a test on Monday over what we learned today."

Umi walked down the empty halls of her school, her long black hair pulled up into a high pony tail and tied with a red string with a tiny bell attached to it. Her slender frame dressed in the usual school uniform, while her cold gray eyes stared straight ahead of her. Alone in the school she was moving at a pace that was faster than what most humans were even capable of visualizing. Her pale arms were holding a heavy stack of books and papers, with even more school work in the black back pack slung over her left shoulder, and sadly none of it was her own. It was the homework that belonged to her foster sister, Kagome. She was never home and her family didn't seem to be the least bit concerned. Umi thought that in this day and age her parents should be at least a little angry that she was missing so much school. Kagome had a bright future ahead of her if she would only stay home every once in a while. But there wasn't much a chance of that. The only time Kagome came home was to take a bath, or because she was dangerously angry with someone. A boy, Umi suspected that Kagome had very deep feelings for. But regardless of how Umi felt about the topic, she kept it to herself out of respect and a little tinge of fear. Umi paused by the windows and looked down at the thin scar that ran across the side of her neck. She wasn't sure where she got the scar, but in a frequent dream she had caused her to believe it was because of a priestess. In Umi's dream, Umi was a famed nine tailed fox demon who lived back in the feudal era. And one day while Umi was running around, she stumbled upon a young priestess and the priestess was not happy with the sight of a demon in her turf. Umi closed her gray eyes as she remembered the sting of the arrow as the priestess shot it at her, her aim was, thankfully, horrible. The young priestess held a striking resemblance to Kagome, not that Umi exactly feared her she just wasn't too keen on the idea of getting shot at again. Especially since Kagome seemed to enjoy archery as of recently now.

Turning away from the window, Umi continued her walk down the empty halls. Maybe Kagome would come home today, it seemed like a possibility. She always returned when Umi gathered her homework, it was like she could sense it or something. She chuckled at the thought of Kagome stopping whatever she was doing to rush home to collect her school work. Charging at super speed from where ever it was that she was at. It was quiet comical in Umi's mind. Using her back to push open the door, as expected there was no one really around out here either. It was the Friday after all and who really stuck around school on a Friday? But it wasn't really the weekend that was on Umi's mind at the moment. She was on a mission, today she would find out just where ever it was that Kagome was disappearing to. That is, if Kagome even came home today. For all Umi knew she could be gone for another week, another month. There was never a pattern to her absences, which made the lies about her being sick all the more believable

Umi let out a happy sigh of relief as she rested against the inside of the door to her home. Slipping off her shoes she walked into the main room of the house and paused for a moment. "I'm home!" She called out before continuing into the kitchen where she gently set the mountain of books and papers down on the table. "Mama Higurashi? Grandpa Higurashi? Sota?" Umi called out as she peeked out of the kitchen door, she received no response. Turning back into the kitchen, Umi found a piece of paper attached to the fridge.

"Umi, Grandpa and I have gone on a trip to visit my sister. She has invited us to stay with her for the weekend. Sota is going to be staying the weekend with his friends. We will see you when we return. There is money for food on the counter, Love you. Mama Higurashi."

Umi frowned as she read the letter. They all left her again, she was more than used to being left alone but that didn't mean she liked it. In fact she couldn't stand being left home alone, or alone in general. And the killer part about this whole situation was that her family knew she hated it, they knew just how much it hurt for her to be alone and yet they were always leaving her home alone on the weekends. Umi dropped her school bag by the kitchen table and stormed out of the house. If it wasn't for the fact that she had no way of getting back to her real home, she would have left years ago. But the thing was, she managed to hit her head at some point after the priestess started firing arrows at her. For all Umi knew she could already be dead and this place sure as hell wasn't heaven. But when she did wake up, she was lying in a bed inside the Higurashi home. And that's where she stayed. For reasons unknown to her she wasn't allowed to go in the bone eater's well, Umi guessed that because it was ancient it was thought to be dangerous for her to enter. Out of respect she stayed away from it. Instead she usually hung out around Inuyasha's tree. There was a scent that surrounded the roots of the tree that made Umi feel like she was at home. Looking around her cautiously to make sure no one was watching, Umi let a small amount of her demonic power loose allowing herself to be engulfed in a bright blue flame. Once the flame was gone, a small black fox sat there calmly for a moment. The fox was about the size of your average house cat, she was black with white tipped paws, ears, underbelly, and all nine of her tails were tipped white. Yes, this small nine tailed fox was Umi. And In her small form Umi quickly ran to the small den that was hidden under the roots of the tree. The den was unnoticed by the humans of this world much to Umi's pleasure. It was her secret hide away, and she preferred to keep it that way. Inside the den the aroma was familiar and comforting; she knew the scent belonged to a dear old friend of hers, one she hoped to see again someday. And even though she was alone, in this den surrounded by the scent of an old comrade, she did not feel alone and that was very important to Umi. Closing her steal gray eyes happily Umi drifted into a light slumber.

After several hours of a wonderful nap she was awakened by the familiar scent of her foster sister somehow appearing out of nowhere. Peeking her tiny head out of the base of the tree she watched as Kagome came out of the well house with her large yellow backpack slung over her shoulder, a relieved smile on her face which had an unusual amount of dirt on it. Umi frowned in confusion. Had she been hiding out in the well house this whole time? No, that wasn't right. Her scent had disappeared and even though she wasn't allowed to go inside the well house, whenever she walked passed it she couldn't discern anybody who was actually staying inside there. A few minutes later Kagome made her way back inside the house shouting out that she was home. Sighing Umi crawled out from the den and shifted back into her human form, also walking into the house. "They mom and Gramps went to visit mom's sister and Sota is over at a friend's house for the weekend." Kagome jumped in surprise as she heard Umi's voice from behind her. "Jesus Umi! Even with the bell you still sneak up on me!" Umi shrugged and took a seat at the kitchen counter while Kagome rummaged through the fridge for something to eat. "Did you get my homework for me?" She asked and Umi nodded. "Yeah. It's in your bedroom on your desk. What were you doing in the well house? I thought we weren't supposed to be in there." Kagome's face went pale suddenly at the question.

"Oh I was just doing some stuff in there. That's all." Kagome laughed in a fake manner that was all too obvious that she was lying about something. "What kind of stuff?" Umi pressed for the truth and Kagome babbled about something incoherent that she couldn't follow before she excused herself to take a shower. Umi lifted her finely sculpted eyebrow in confusion before taking it upon herself to check out the strange scent coming from Kagome's bag. It smelled very familiar to her. The bag smelled of fresh dirt and clean grass. There was even a hint of something else she found familiar. The very faint scent of wild strawberries still clung to a small Ziplock bag that seemed to have once held mixed candies, a letter Y was inked in black on the front. "Hm. Weird." As she was rummaging through the bag she heard Kagome getting out of the shower. In a panic she didn't want Kagome to know that she had been snooping around so she quickly shifted into her fox form and burrowed herself into the bottom of the bag. "Well I guess I should just repack and head back since no one is really here. Besides Umi wouldn't mind being alone around the house." Umi's eyes widened slightly. There was no way she was going to hang out around the house by herself. Wherever Kagome went, that is exactly where she was going to go.


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

"Why did she have to go back now when there are shards to be found?" Inuyasha grumbled as he glared down into the dry well. He didn't see what was so damn important about this "School" Kagome was always whining about. There was no way it was more important than collecting more shards than Naraku. That bastard was strong enough. "She better get back her quickly or else I'm going to go drag her back myself!" Inuyasha huffed as he crossed his arms over his chest. "HA! Like hell you would!" a playful sounding voice sneered from somewhere behind Inuyasha. Slightly started by the voice, Inuyasha spun around with his hand grasping the Tetsaiga firmly. "Who the hell said that?" He growled defensively.

"Sheesh calm down puppy… I was just saying you wouldn't have the guts to drag Kagome anywhere." Inuyasha turned toward the sacred tree where he had once been pinned to by Kikyo. At the very roots there was a pair of sky blue eyes shining mischievously from within the darkness. "What do you know? And who the hell are ya? And what are you doing under there?" Inuyasha demanded squatting down by the roots. "Why should I tell you? And for your information I know quite a lot! For instance how you are always running off to that woman who smells of death. How do you stand kissing those lips anyways? Are you one of those weirdoes who are into corpses?" The voice scoffed, still keeping a playful undertone. Whoever it was, was enjoying messing with Inuyasha. Because upon hearing what the voice said Inuyasha fell on his ass with a shocked expression. But he quickly crossed his arms and legs, turning his nose to the air. "I don't know what you are talking about." He grumbled defiantly. "Oh, I think you do. And I don't think you want Kagome to know about it. You are one guilty puppy my friend. One sick and guilty little puppy." Inuyasha glared down at the shining blue eyes. "I haven't done anything wrong! Who the hell are you anyways?" The person in the roots chuckled and appeared to shake its head. "You are just as stupid as I thought. But I guess that's to be expected of someone related to that dumbass fluff ball." Inuyasha growled as he began to become very annoyed with the person hiding in the roots. He was about to plunge his hand into the roots and drag whoever it was out by their neck when he paused for a moment. "Someone related to that dumbass fluff ball?" Inuyasha questioned, his glare softening into a look of pure curiosity. "Yeah, Lord Fluffy of the Puffy Pants? Prince of the Poodles and all that is stupid and annoying. The twinkle toes with the venomous green ribbon... You're brother?" The voice spat out each insult with great distaste. It took Inuyasha a minute to realize who the person was talking about exactly.

"Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha questioned as he watched the blue eyes roll in annoyance. "Who else?" the person huffed as Inuyasha continued to star at her curiously. "I'd like to see you say that to his face." Inuyasha scoffed as the person looked him straight in the eye. "And what makes you think I haven't?" Inuyasha rolled his eyes this time. "I wouldn't be sitting here talking to ya if that were true! He would have skinned you alive!" The person sniffed at his comment. "As if, that stupid mutt couldn't lay a hand on me! I'd have him tied to a tree by his stupid fluffy… Whatever the hell that thing is he carries. I wonder if it's alive… The next time I see him I think I'll poke it with a stick…" The voice mused childishly as Inuyasha sighed in annoyance. "You are crazy." The voice huffed in offence. "That is not my name, have you no manners? I guess a puppy like you still requires training." The person taunted playfully as Inuyasha slammed his hands into the ground in annoyance, bringing his golden gaze level with the sky blue ones of the mystery person. "You are one to talk! You still haven't told me your name yet!"… "Oh is the puppy getting angry?" the voice taunted with laughter. "Yes the puppy-." Inuyasha growled as he stopped himself. "Why you!" Inuyasha was about to lunge into the roots of the tree when he heard a familiar set of foot steps behind him.

"Inuyasha has finally lost it. He's even talking to himself." A child's voice chuckled from behind Inuyasha, causing him to turn around and slam a well formed fist into the orange haired kitsune's head. "SHUT UP! I WAS NOT TALKING TO MYSELF!" Inuyasha fumed while Shippo held his head tenderly. "Inuyasha you are such a jerk!" Shippo cried as tears formed in his eyes. "I wasn't talking to myself." Inuyasha huffed as he childishly crossed his arms. "Yeah? Well then who were you talking to?" Shippo demanded glaring at Inuyasha. "I was talking to…" Inuyasha trailed off, he didn't know the person's name. That blasted blue eyed whoever it was wouldn't tell him! "Well?" Shippo demanded. "It's none of your business!" Inuyasha barked making Shippo jump back. "So you were talking to yourself!" Shippo teased with a playful smirk, being careful to stay out of Inuyasha's reach. "Was not!" Inuyasha defended childishly. "Were too!" Shippo fired back. "WAS NOT! Inuyasha stood up to glare down at Shippo for effect. "WERE TOO!" Shippo yelled back as he jumped up to ….keep eye level with Inuyasha for just a moment before falling back down to the ground. "WAS NOT!" Inuyasha yelled as he chased after Shippo. "WERE TOO!" Shippo giggled as he ran away from Inuyasha. The two of them continued firing off was not and were too as they ran circles around the dry well. "You two are so childish." The voice laughed as Inuyasha and Shippo stopped in their tracks.

"Wh...who said that?" Shippo demanded hopping up on the dry well's ledge to get a better look of the surroundings. "I did!" The voice chimed cheerfully from the roots of the sacred tree. Shippo leapt off of the well and scrambled over to the roots where the sky blue eyes waited. "And who are you?" Shippo asked curiously as he took a seat in front of the eyes. "You smell like a fox demon." Shippo beamed as the voice chuckled. "That I am, my name is Yuri." Inuyasha stormed over to the tree and got down on his hands and knees to face to blue eyes. "Hey! How come you told him but you wouldn't tell me who you were?!" The person seemed to shrug her shoulders nonchalantly making Inuyasha all the more annoyed. "Guess I just don't like mutts." Inuyasha growled as Shippo laughed at Yuri's insult. "Why don't you come out and say that to my face you coward?" Inuyasha barked glaring at Yuri. "That would require me coming out of my home, and I'm waiting for someone." Inuyasha rolled his eyes and crossed his arms across his chest, sitting on the ground with his legs crossed. "Who are you waiting for?"

Yuri looked away from Inuyasha. "A friend, but it's none of your business. Why don't you go find a bone to chew on puppy?" Inuyasha ignored the insult and laughed. "You have a friend? How long have you been waiting around here for?" Yuri didn't seem the least bit bothered by his attempt at an insult. "Oh I don't know, it probably been well over 50 years… Maybe 100… I don't remember..." Inuyasha's eyes widened. "SO you have been hiding under here for over 50 years?" Inuyasha's tone held a small hitch of nervousness to it. "Oh yes, I have been under here the whole time. And let me tell you, I have seen everything... And I mean everything, all the things you don't want Kagome to know… Just keep that in mind puppy." Inuyasha glared at Yuri. "Well it sounds like your friend ditched you! Not that I blame 'em!" Yuri narrowed her gaze at Inuyasha.

"She didn't ditch me!... I Just… Kind of… Lost sight of her…" Yuri spoke softly as Inuyasha scoffed. "Yeah well it seems to me that she ran away from you!" That seemed to strike a chord with Yuri, at first much to Inuyasha's pleasure. "Yeah?! Well what the hell do you know?! You are just a two timing Jerk who has a thing for corpses! If you ask me you are one sick bastard!" Inuyasha's golden gaze widened as all the playfulness left Yuri's eyes and voice and was replaced by anger and anguish. "Sheesh, sorry for asking, no need to get all worked up over it." Inuyasha huffed looking away embarrassed. "I'm going to find her…" Inuyasha turned to look at Yuri's sky blue eyes that were now lit up with determination. "I may not be able to get to her, but I will wait here for as long as I have too. One day she will come home, and I'll be here waiting for her. And I will NEVER let her out of my sight again." Inuyasha closed his eyes and sighed. "You sound pretty protective over this friend of yours." Yuri looked away from Inuyasha and nodded her head. "Well, it is my job. I was assigned to protect her." Inuyasha opened his eyes to look down at Yuri. "What do you mean?" Yuri sighed. "Well, she was the head of our clan or at least soon to be the head of our clan. Heiress to the southern lands, a powerful demon even at such a young age, she was the famed nine tailed fox demon. The treasure of our clan, or at least I thought she was. She was my only friend and I treasured our friendship dearly. I just hope she can forgive me for allowing her to be all by herself."

The clearing went eerily quiet as Yuri stopped talking, a heavy air of regret and agony lingering, emanating from the den like a heavy fog. Pretty soon the heavy air was lifted as a bright light shone from the well and all eyes were upon the dark haired teen coming out of it, a huge yellow bag slung over her shoulder. "Kagome!" Shippo cried happily running towards her and jumping into her arms. "Hey Shippo. Inuyasha wasn't mean to you while I was gone was he?" Shippo nodded. "He was but its ok because we met someone who has been hiding under the tree over there!" Kagome shifted her gaze to Yuri who was still under the tree and she smiled. "Oh yeah that's Yuri. Hey Yuri! I've got some candy for you!" In an instant Yuri was at Kagome's side but there was fire in her eye that startled the young miko. "What's wrong?" Yuri ripped away the backpack and nearly tore the fabric apart as she practically crawled into the bottom of the bag.

"Uh Kagome? What is she doing?" Shippo asked a little timidly from Kagome's arms. "That must be some candy." Inuyasha stated also a little timid of the determined fox. An ear piercing squeal of joy echoed through the clearing, Yuri's fox ears and tail popped out from her body and a small fire had started nearby, quickly put out by Inuyasha. A black ball of fur was bundled in Yuri's arms as tears streamed down her face. "You're alive! I knew you were alive! I waited and waited and waited and I knew you would come back!" She bawled, nearly squeezing the ball of fluff in her arms to death.

"Yuri. You. Are. Killing. Me." A muffled voice came from the fluff and Yuri promptly let her go, bowing on her hands and knees, tears still flowing from her face in rivers. "I am so sorry Umi! I never should've let you run off like that! I don't know what I did to upset you but I am so sorry! Please forgive me!" Yuri pressed her forehead to the ground in front of the nine tailed fox demon. Umi felt tears forming in her eyes as she stared at the young fox demoness in front of her. "You waited for me here this whole time?" Umi whispered in admiration and a hint of sadness. "Yes. I trailed your scent all the way here after you ran off but after that I couldn't find you. I knew that there was some sort of miko involved and so I knew that it had to be one of them so I tracked down every single one I could find and pressed them for answers as to your whereabouts." Yuri removed the metal armor that was on her arm and exposed the dozens of sutras wrapped around her pale skin all the way around her hand almost up to her shoulder. "I was after the one named Kikyo but before I could question her well she died and had herself burned." A glare that could set flame to the sky darkened Yuri's slender face.

Just as quickly as it came the glare was gone replaced with a look of pure joy. "But you're back and now I don't have to kill anymore. And I will never let you out of my sight again!" Umi smiled sadly as Yuri quickly turned to tears once again, her fangs peeking out from her trembling lips. She really had grown up into a rather beautiful creature although mentally she feared that Yuri had somehow managed to get herself into a sort of rut with her disappearance. "Uh…"Kagome asked as she came up beside Yuri and Umi who was still in her fox form. "Is anyone going to explain just what is going on here?" Umi sighed and seeing as how Yuri wasn't able to talk anymore through her silent tears she switched back to her normal human form much to Kagome's surprise.

"You were a demon this whole time!? But how come I didn't sense you!?" She freaked out and accidentally swung her arm, hitting Yuri in the head and making the fox slip out of her funk in and instant. Kagome squealed in fear as Yuri instantly switched to body guard mode, shoving the girl to the ground and standing protectively in front of Umi. "What are you doing Yuri? I thought we were friends?" Kagome asked while the others in the group stood watching in total confusion. "No one gets within arm's reach of Umi except for me from now on. She slipped from my sights once and I assure you it won't happen again." Yuri crossed her arms and made her aura flare dangerously in an attempt to warn them that she meant business. Sure she knew that Umi's aura was far more impressive but for now this would have to do. "Yuri." Umi said with a hint of irritation dripping from the single word made Yuri's hair stand on end. She knew that tone of voice and knew it would be best if she cooled it down a bit. "Stand aside. I am allowed to have my friends as close or as far from me as I want. Now move and let me talk to Kagome, after you have apologized of course." Yuri sighed and lowered her head in defeat. "Yes Umi. I am sorry Kagome. I guess I get carried away sometimes when it comes to Umi. She is my charge though so please don't let her get hurt." Yuri politely moved to lean back against the large tree where her den was. Kagome picked herself up as Umi made sure that Yuri was going to follow her orders without any trouble. She hadn't changed a bit in that respect that was for sure.

"Are you gonna tell me what is going on here or what? I am so confused!" Kagome rubbed her temples like she did when she was starting to get a headache. "Well to give you the short version, I am Lady Umi of the Southern lands, the heiress and legendary nine tailed fox demon of the region. When I was just a kit Yuri and I were out in the forest when we got separated and I was chased by a very young miko who was powerful beyond her years. I tripped and fell through the well and into your time. I was unsure of how to get back and so your family took me in for which I am grateful by the way. Yuri is my appointed body guard and I'm sure as you can tell that she is a bit clingy most of the time so it really is best if you keep your distance just until she calms down a bit. There is only so much I can do when it comes to her sometimes." Umi explained while Kagome's eyes widened in shock.

"Wait so you two are the foxes of legend?" Shippo came right up to Umi and stared at her with wide emerald green eyes full of wonder and admiration. "Legend? What do you mean?" Yuri asked curiously as she stepped a little closer now, her ears perked and eager to hear what he was saying. "Lady Umi and her trusty guard Yuri the kotowari." Yuri's ears twitched slightly as though she had been slapped and Umi's eyes narrowed. "My papa and mama used to tell me about it. You guys are like the most famous foxes I know! It tells about Lady Umi, the most beautiful and powerful nine tailed fox demon to ever live, destined to rule the throne of the Southern lands once she reached proper age. And of Yuri who was like Umi's ever present shadow. They say that Yuri stole Umi away and then in order to take her powers she killed Umi, then tried to blame it on the miko priestesses, and in the end she became an exile, killing every miko she could find in such a destructive way that the she was stained with blood for all of time. Come to find out that the village in the South eventually was killed by the same miko that had really killed off Umi and with Umi's mother's last words she uttered that Yuri was forever to be called Kotowari, reject. For she had rejected her village in pursuit of Umi whom she believed was not dead only missing, refusing to assist those who had rejected her since birth."

Yuri's normally bright eyes turned stormy as she listened to the story, the memories of her horrid past coming back to haunt her. Umi fumed silently. How dare they do this to Yuri? After everything that she had done for them all those years back when she was even just a kit, before she had become Umi's guard. "But you don't seem like what the paintings depicted you as Yuri. You look a lot prettier." Shippo said realizing that what he had said before had hurt her and trying to make her feel better. "I'm sure you're not the monster that mama and papa said that you were." Yuri flinched ever so slightly, so slight that only Umi seemed to notice. Oh Yuri was a monster, but it wasn't her fault that her final form was so…well Umi couldn't even describe it. She had only seen Yuri's true form once and that was when they were just kits, the day she had chosen Yuri to become her guard as a matter of fact. "No, she's not a monster. And neither is she a reject. Remember I chose you for a reason Yuri, don't you forget that." Umi placed a comforting hand on Yuri's shoulder for a second before pulling away again.

She knew that there wasn't much she could do about Yuri's past just as Yuri couldn't do much about Umi's past but at least they were back in each other's lives again. "Of course Umi. I could never forget that." The clearing was quiet for several awkward moments until Yuri put her metal armor back on her arm, covering up most of the ancient sutras. "What do we do now Umi? As the kit said, the South is long gone for us." Yuri said in a serious tone that wasn't like her. Her blue eyes still stormy with emotion that Umi knew she was attempting to hide to appear stronger. "I guess you guys could come hang with us for a while at least. Maybe until Umi gets used to being in the right time at least." Kagome offered kindly. "Wait a second there is still one question that hasn't been answered yet." Inuyasha pointed a clawed finger at Yuri who was busy adjusting her armor. "How did you know about Yuri hanging out under the tree this whole time when I didn't?"

"Actually it's pretty simple. I'm a fox and you are a dog, meaning I am far more intelligent than you are." Yuri stuck her tongue out childishly. "I met Yuri on one of my trips back home, she was sleeping in front of the well in the sun. When she smelled me she woke up and promptly asked if I had any food to eat. So I gave her a candy bar and from then on she always greeted me when I returned, thus I bring her candy. She has a sweet tooth." Yuri's ears perked up at the mention of food and her cloudy eyes lightened a bit. "I'm starving." She stated simply making Umi chuckle. "You are always starving. I swear I have no idea how you can eat so much and stay so thin…you are gonna get fat one of these days Yuri." Yuri smiled a little and ran a clawed hand through her short black hair. "Eh, I am not worried about that now, by then hopefully I'll be on my death bed and you'll already be dead." She laughed and started walking towards the village where Umi knew that she could smell food cooking somewhere. Umi wondered if Yuri ever snuck down there and stole any of the villager's food when they weren't looking. She had always done it when they were kits and it was rare not to see Yuri without a piece of food making its way down her endless pit.

"So, Inuyasha do you not remember me at all? I certainly remember you." Yuri smirked and tossed a rock to hit the dog in the face. "What was that for you moron?!" Umi sighed and walked behind her friend. "Yuri he was just a pup when we met him. There is no way he would be able to remember us, especially when you keep pelting him with rocks like you are." Yuri shrugged and kept walking while Inuyasha growled at her in anger. "Well he still is a lousy catch regardless." Inuyasha snarled and attempted to lunge at her, Umi and the others watched as the dog demon missed. "And a lousy shot. You wanna go pup? It's been awhile since I got my hands dirty." Yuri's eyes glittered with mischievousness, Umi knew that it was a bad idea to let Yuri loose on the village. "Yeah show me what you got fox!" Umi held Kagome back as Yuri instantly went on the defensive. "You guys might want to stand back. Yuri doesn't quite know how to be careful when she gets into this mood." Umi crossed her arms while she watched her friend unsheathe a thin blade which upon close inspection had notches scratched into it for every kill she had made with her blade, the vast number nearly made Umi balk out loud but she knew that Yuri had done it out of pure survival. Had the future made her soft? Umi shook her head slightly as she tried to put this out of her head.

"Alright, so want me to show you how a real fight is done? I've seen the way you fight and honestly I am so not impressed." Yuri dodged the attack that Inuyasha had launched directly to her chest. Yuri launched and landed on top of Inuyasha's back. "Also your intelligence leaves much to be desired." Inuyasha snarled angrily and attempted to swipe at her but yet again Yuri dodged his attempt with ease. As she leapt from his back she turned midair and landed a solid kick to his side, launching him towards a nearby tree. "You'll pay for that you damn fox!" Yuri smirked and placed her fox mask over her face. '_Shoot, this is getting a little too serious. I never knew that she was this vicious…' _Umi thought and she felt the need to stop this. "Yuri. Enough." But Yuri wasn't paying attention anymore. She may not be as powerful as Umi but she was downright determined and that was equally as dangerous. Yuri launched herself towards the half demon who was attempting to get back on his feet. There was a darkness in her eyes and a sick smile on her face that sent a chill down her spine. She had to stop this now before Inuyasha got killed. Releasing some of her power she launched herself directly at the white fox demoness, knocking her to the ground in one fell swoop. "I said enough Yuri." Umi said with authority in her voice, the sound bringing Yuri back to her senses. Removing her mask she lowered her head in apology and sheathed her sword. "My apologies." Somewhere behind them they head a snicker that was badly hidden. "What are you laughing at you nitwit?" Inuyasha grumbled as he rubbed his shoulder. Shippo was nearly bursting at the seams with laughter. "YOU GOT BEAT UP BY A GIRL!"


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

"Inuyasha, seriously, I already apologized." Yuri said between mouthfuls as they sat inside the small hut with the old priestess Kaede. "Feh. Whatever you stupid fox." He grumbled as he too shoveled food into his mouth. Everyone else was just watching the two as they ate, astounded by the amount of food they each were devouring.

"How is it possible for you two to eat so much?" The monk, Miroku asked in astonishment. "Yuri was always stuffing her face. Guess it goes back to when she was living on the streets." Umi said offhand not realizing what she was saying. "Oh sorry Yuri." The white fox demoness simply shrugged and swallowed her food. "Don't worry about it. It was a long time ago. Besides you are probably right."

With a satisfied sigh she placed her empty bowl and leaned against the wall of the hut. Shippo crawled over to Yuri and sat in her lap. "So how did you two meet anyways? You guys are so different after all." Shippo asked sleepily. Yuri smiled childishly and made herself comfortable. "Actually it was all because of Umi being so kind that I even became the way I am."

_"Ugh!" A small girl with white fox ears tipped in black hugged her stomach in pain, reeling from the force of the well-aimed kick. "Look at you you slime. You are a disgrace to all of our clan! Why couldn't you have died?" One of the other kits, a brown haired young boy kicked her again in the side making her yelp in pain. "Kids! Get away from that! You'll catch her hideousness if you get too close." The kits ran away with evil laughter echoing through the small alley. _

"_Besides we don't want to be late to the Lady choosing her personal body guard!" She heard her tormenters say as they ran away. 'The ceremony.' The girl thought as she pulled herself up from the ground. "I wish I could go." She sighed and ran a hand through her long hair. 'Hm, this keeps getting in the way, maybe I should cut it.' She thought idly as she made her way out of the alley, noticing as always that those who were still wandering the streets took extra care to walk around her in a wide arc. She was not like the rest of them. _

_Even her own parents had forsaken her as a kit, thrown her out and had it not been for her extreme sense for survival she would've long since expired. _

_ She was hideous. Cursed even. Making her way towards the rear of the village there were less and less people from her clan. An old nearly dead fox demon rested in his true form on the edge of the territory. He was an old warrior that had lost his usefulness many years ago and thus had been sent here to die. "Little one. Why do you not go to the ceremony?" She stopped in her tracks, unsure as to why she was even being spoken too. _

"_I am tainted. I cannot attend old one. If I do then I will be killed." She said with her head bowed slightly. The old fox lifted his great head and opened a familiar sky blue eye that trained itself on her small form. "I have been a horrible fool my young one. Especially to you and my children. You are not tainted, simply different than the others. Please, I would like to know that there is still hope for the young and the downtrodden such as yourself. Please, go. For my sake if anything else." Unsure of what to do the girl simply stayed still in confusion. The old fox lay his head down on the ground with a heavy sigh, "Please little one, go see the ceremony." _

_ Another moment passed and so did the old fox. 'Well, why not.' She shrugged and headed back towards the center of the village where the rest of the villagers were standing. Hopping up on top of one of the nearby houses so she could get out of the way and not get caught. There towards the area closest to the palace stood a girl similar to her in height and age, her steel grey eyes focused on the line of strong men that stood in front of her at attention. She was dressed in the finest of kimonos, layers of beautiful silk showing her status and her long hair falling down past her shoulders. _

"_Do any of these men please you my lady?" One of the palace attendants asked and as she looked again at the men Lady Umi seemed to sigh heavily in disappointment. Leaning in to hear what she was sure to be the decision, the girl atop the roof lost her footing and slipped, falling right in the midst of the men much to everyone's shock and horror. "What do you think you are doing here cretin!? You don't belong here!" One of the men reached out to strike her but without thinking she reacted in an instant. Her mouth opened and she bit down on the hand so hard that it drew blood._

_ "Why you!" She was surrounded in an instant by the others, all of them with evil in their eyes. "How dare you bite me you lowlife! You will pay for your disobedience." As they reached down the girl's heart raced violently and her ability to keep her powers at bay were suddenly too much for her to control. In a rush of blue fox fire a rather large white beast now stood where she had once been. With a rush the girl snarled and lunged for the nearest man, snapping and breaking the man's arm nearly in half. _

"_She's tainted me!" The man screamed pathetically as the others backed away from the fox girl, exposing to the rest of the clan her true form. The fox was unlike anything any of them had seen, a collective gasp of horror echoed in the suddenly silent courtyard. Blood dripped from the fangs of the creature that would never be considered beautiful among those of her clan. Her eyes were a deep red, her fur rough and standing on end, and worse yet, her mouth. Her mouth was twice as long as it should have been, the multiple rows of fangs reaching nearly up to her too long ears. A scream from a woman in the crowd caused the deformed fox to growl in distaste. _

"_You. What is your name?" Lady Umi took several steps forward much to everyone's surprise. "Me?" The girl asked through a rough voice that was harsh on sensitive ears. "Yes. You. Who else would I be talking to?" She took another step towards the fox. "My lady do not get any closer to that freak!" The attendant attempted to stop her but the lady would not be stopped. "Are you trying to tell me what to do? I have chosen my guard and I want to know what her name is." The white and black fox jumped slightly in shock. "You what? But you can't chose her, she is a monster!" Lady Umi turned her deadly gaze upon her attendant who hastily took several steps backwards. _

_ "Now please tell me your name." Umi smiled kindly back at the girl who was standing there, blood dripping from her grotesque mouth, tears welling up in her eyes. "I…I'm Yuri my lady. At your service." She bowed her head low to the ground in respect. "You sure are. Come on and let's get you cleaned up. I can't have my personal body guard looking like that." With a tender hand, Umi pat Yuri's shoulder, the young girl letting the tears flow from her face in rivers. _

Umi smiled at the happy Yuri who had just finished telling the story. "She saved my life that day. I don't know where I would be without her and so from that day on I promised to protect her better than any other could and show the rest of the world that I wasn't just some unwanted orphan. We have been friends ever since." Yuri closed her eyes as she leaned her head against the wall. "Wow. I had no idea you guys were so close." Miroku said softly. "So I guess it must've been terrible for you to lose her like you did all those years ago huh." Yuri didn't respond but you could tell that she was trying to hold herself back. Umi lowered her head slightly, she knew what it must have felt like to be all alone like that for so long. Especially one who was as dependent upon her as Yuri was.

"So what are you guys going to do now? Are you going to head back to the South to see what happened to your village?" Kagome asked out of curiosity. "That is up to Lady Umi. I will follow her to the ends of the earth. Now if you will excuse me." Yuri handed Kagome a sleeping Shippo before heading towards the door. "Where are you going?"

Inuyasha asked a new sense of compassion in his eyes after hearing her story. They had a lot in common after all. "I'm just going to keep watch. Now that Umi is back my duties must continue where they left off. Sleep well Umi, I'm glad that you're back." She smiled as she disappeared into the night. They were silent as the winds blew around the small hut. "I'm gonna go take a quick walk before bed. We leave in the morning. Good night." Inuyasha finally said and he too left the hut, probably in search of Yuri to make sure he was alright. Without really thinking Umi made herself comfortable, feeling for once in her life that she was actually where she was supposed to be.

How could she have stayed away for so long? "I suppose we, for the time being, will travel with you if that is alright. At least until I get the hang of things here. A lot of things have changed since the last time I was here." Kagome nodded and made herself comfortable as well.

Yuri found a nearby tree and jumped up into one of the higher branches, making sure she could see the entire village from her perch. She was happy that Umi was home but there was still that guilt that she had let her slip away in the first time. Reaching into her breast pocket she pulled out an old leather cord with a rusty bell that had long since lost the ability to chime. 'Should I give this back to her or would that just be weird?' she wondered silently to herself. "Hey mind if I join ya?" She looked down to see Inuyasha at the base of the tree. Shrugging, she waved him on up and in a second he was right next to her. "Hey, I'm sorry for what happened earlier. I didn't know…" She smiled sadly and looked up at the moon, her ears trained to pick out potential danger. "It's no big deal. No one really knew except those in the clan and Umi. I guess you know what it feels like to be outcast as well huh."

He nodded silently and joined looking up at the moon with her. "I do. Look you don't have to worry about keeping watch tonight. Go ahead and rest, I'll make sure nothing happens to Umi and Kagome. You can trust me." Yuri seemed about to protest when he glared at her. "Seriously I can tell when you're tired, you just about fell asleep inside the hut, besides I doubt you had much sleep over the last fifty or so years anyways. For once just relax and let someone else take care of things." He flicked her nose and smiled slightly at her.

Realizing that she could trust him and knowing that what he had said was true, she nodded and shifted and curled up on the branch beside him. A few seconds later she found herself lying in his lap. "Don't worry about it, I just don't want to save you if you fall off." He said in response and she settled in for the night.

The next morning she woke to find Inuyasha wide awake although a little groggy from staying up all night. "Morning." She yawned in response to his voice. "Thank you. Are the others awake yet?" She asked and stretched in his lap which was surprisingly comfortable. He shook his head.

"No the sun has only just come up. But Kagome will probably be up soon." Yuri nodded and switched into her humanoid form, surprising Inuyasha and making him blush. "I'll go get some breakfast. You can sleep till then if you want to." She said before jumping down from the tree and rushing off into the forest where he knew that she would find something for them to eat. A couple hours later she returned with several of rabbits and a boar slung over her shoulder.

By then everyone was awake and ready for breakfast. "Why the hell did you catch a boar?! How are we going to eat all of that!?" Inuyasha balked and she shrugged. "Actually I got it for the village. I borrowed some food every now and then from them and I felt bad so they can do with this what they want." She plopped the boar in front of a stunned Kaede as Umi struggled to stifle her laughter. She knew Yuri couldn't have resisted taking food. "We thank ye Yuri. We haven't eaten this well in quite some time." She motioned for some of the nearby men to take the boar away while Yuri handed Kagome her rabbits that she had caught for breakfast. "Thank you Yuri." Kagome thanked her. Yuri nodded and then bowed her head towards Umi who was in the middle of a yawn. "I trust you slept well Umi?" She asked and Umi nodded still a little groggy from sleep. While Kagome prepared the meal Yuri sat on top of the hut, surveying the land with her piercing blue eyes nibbling on a piece of jerky.

"So where are we headed today Kagome?" Shippo asked once breakfast was ready. "I think we will have to head towards the north this time. There was a rumor that some strange things going on up there." Yuri blinked and hopped down to join the conversation. "I actually heard the same thing when I was out this morning. I heard that there was some general causing trouble or something. Asking for sacrifices and crazy stuff like that."

Yuri brushed back a lock of stray short hair. Kagome looked at her. "Where did you hear that?" She shrugged nonchalantly and brushed imaginary dust from her pristine kimono. "While I was out tracking the boar there were a few guys who had just traveled from the North and were talking about it around their little camp. They were pretty dumb actually, didn't even notice I had taken their jerky." Yuri smiled and started heading out in the direction they would most likely take.

"Ok then. Besides Yuri stealing the jerky that seems just about right. So let's get going shall we?" Umi nodded and followed next to Yuri like they had when they were kits. The others fell back in formation behind them, silently appointing Yuri as their leader since she seemed to know where she was supposed to go. "It should only take a couple of days to get where we need to go if we keep up a decent pace." Yuri said, her ears perked and at the ready as she always was while she was on duty around her lady.

Looking at her Umi could tell that Yuri was basically the same as she had remembered her but there were those dark undertones and a hint of barely controlled powers that hadn't been there before. She used to be a lot more carefree and playful but there was something that had taken a lot of that innocence she once had away from her.

Could it be that this was all due to Umi falling down the well? Or was there something else that Yuri was keeping close to her chest? And what was with all of those sutras? There was no way that a two tailed fox such as Yuri could really take down that many priestesses on her own, or maybe she could. There was a potential in Yuri that Umi had noticed the first time that she had met her and maybe the fox demoness underestimated her close friend. "How long were you waiting in the den for me Yuri?" Umi asked and Yuri shrugged. "I lost count after sixty years but my guess is about eighty, why do you ask?" Umi's steel grey eyes widened in shock. "Why didn't you just abandon me? Why would you waste your entire youth just waiting and waiting for someone who probably wouldn't come back?" Yuri smiled and looked over at her.

"Because you didn't abandon me. Friends don't do that no matter what." Umi returned her smile knowing that Yuri was the best possible choice for her to have made that day and she was glad that the little kit had fallen into her life. You couldn't ask for a better friend and guard than that of Yuri. "Besides, I knew you would come back sooner or later. No one can resist this cute face for long!" Yuri chuckled, the sound familiar to Umi's ears.

From there it was as though no time had passed between the two friends. They walked beside one another just like they had in the old days, the warm sun on their pale skin, and idle chatter. "So humans have actually made it to the moon? What kind of magic did they use to achieve that?" Yuri asked full of curiosity as Kagome and Umi attempted to make their feudal friends understand the complicated future world.

"Not magic but science. There are a lot of cool things that the future has that would make life here so much easier." Kagome said with a smile as Yuri shook her head. "I wouldn't change a thing. Yeah times are tough sometimes but that's how you find ways to survive. Besides sounds like your world is mighty cramped and filthy from all of these machines that you have. What about just laying outside in the tall grass and watching the heavens, smelling the fresh air and listening to the world around you? Do you ever get to do that?"

Kagome thought for a moment and then with a slightly disappointed face she sighed. "I guess you're right about that. It sure is peaceful around here for the most part anyways." Shippo hopped up to Yuri's shoulder and she giggled as his tail tickled the back of her neck. "Hey can you teach me some fox magic? My parents didn't get the chance to teach me more than the basics before they passed away." Yuri's cheeks flushed and she looked at Umi. "Actually I'm not too good at it but Umi is a much better teacher and she is able to do a lot more than I can." Shippo looked at her confused. "But you guys are the same age so you should know how to do the same stuff right?"

Umi picked up Shippo and held him in her arms while looking at a flustered Yuri. "Yuri's condition makes her powers unstable so like the fox fire yesterday she can't really control them very well. We had been working on it before I fell down the well but it's just a bit more difficult for her to be able to do anything on command." Shippo's green eyes widened in understanding and Yuri attempted to hide her embarrassment although it was a horrible attempt. "Oh. I see. Well then Umi can teach both of us! What do you say Yuri? You with me?" Yuri blushed slightly but managed to regain her composure slightly and smiled back at the young kit.

"Yeah sure. But that would be up to Umi. Plus we would have to be away from trees until I can get my fox fire under control." Umi snickered as she caught the reference. "I can't believe you almost burnt down the forest twice! Mother and Father were so upset." Yuri chuckled and the tip of her fang showed in her grin as she too recalled the incident from their childhood. "Ah those were the days weren't they?" Yuri smiled looking up at the sunny sky through the overhanging trees, the light playing on her pretty face. "Yeah they sure were. Things are so different now though, so many things have happened…" Yuri's eyes darkened in thought and she nibbled on her lip as her mind wandered into the darker days when Umi wasn't around.

"Yuri…" Umi started but stopped when she realized that there was something darker going on within Yuri that hadn't been there when they were kits. She had gathered from the multitudes of sutras that Yuri had killed or tortured dozens of mikos in order to get information but what about the rest of the time when she wasn't tracking down a priestess? What kind of world did Yuri have to live through on her own while she was in the future with Kagome? Taking a closer look on her friend's bare shoulders she noticed the faint scars that crisscrossed all over the pale skin. Life had not been kind to her here in the feudal world. As they walked Umi noticed Yuri starting to get tenser, her ears were stiff and her fingers were clenching and unclenching like they had whenever she was stressed about something. "Yuri? You alright?" Umi asked in a lower whisper noticing how Yuri's eyes were narrowed into slits staring straight ahead. "Yes. I'm fine Umi." She said in a strained voice that Umi knew all too well. Because of her condition she knew that Yuri would need to let off some steam and soon otherwise they would all be in trouble. "If you need to take a walk Yuri you can. I'll be fine. We can rest here until you return." Yuri furrowed her brow and shook her head negatively.

"I'll be fine. This happens all the time I just need a moment." Claws dug into the palm of Yuri's hand, droplets of crimson falling to the ground, a small sizzle sounding with each one hitting the dirt.


	5. Chapter Four

**Author's note: **_**Hey guys this is Saiyuri Mai and this is the first time I've posted a story on here so I hope you like it. I don't always post a new chapter every week due to being a single mom but I hope you guys do like the story. Umi and Yuri are my creations and all other Inuyasha characters belong to their creator. It's rated mature for some graphic scenes, mature content and of course there shall be some lemony goodness eventually ;) Anyways read and let me know what you think! **_

Chapter Four

Shippo started to move closer to Yuri, sensing the danger that he was putting himself in, he halted. The rest of the group had stopped in their tracks to watch the trembling Yuri who was battling with her nature. "Are you alright Yuri?" Kagome reached out only to be stopped by the strangled growl coming from her. "You need to go Yuri. Just run for a while and come back when you have yourself under control." Umi took a step away from Yuri, noticing the way her mouth had started to stretch a little and the pupils in her eyes were mere slits. "That's an order Yuri. Do you dare defy your Lady?" Umi demanded as she noticed the hesitation in Yuri's eyes. Yuri stayed for just a second longer unsure of herself before realizing that she would be putting others in danger if she attempted to stay. With a growl she bolted off into the distance, feeling her fragile barriers crumble like paper. Umi sighed and started looking for a safe place to set up camp for the night. It was going to be awhile before Yuri would be back to normal. "What just happened to Yuri?" Sango asked her and she looked off in the direction she had gone.

"Well because of the unstable nature of her condition sometimes she just has to take a run to let all the built up energy she has inside of her. Her inner beast is a lot more unruly and untamed than a normal demon's. We aren't too sure why but we just know that if she doesn't just let it go every once in a while things could get ugly." Umi sighed and pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Either way she won't be back for at least the rest of the night so why don't we set up camp and wait for her to come back?" Umi suggested looking at Kagome who nodded in understanding. "Yeah that sounds like a good idea. We covered some good ground today anyways." The group set up camp a little ways into the forest where they found a small clearing that could still see the road. 'I hope you're all right Yuri.'

As the group sat around the small campfire with full bellies Shippo curled up sleepily in Kagome's lap. "So how did Yuri get this way in the first place? I mean she couldn't have always been so unstable so what happened to her?" Shippo asked in between yawns. Umi shrugged and started idly braiding her hair. "She was always unstable although not to this degree usually. She was born to two very high standing foxes who were quick to toss her out once they saw her true form. They left her on the streets to fend for herself, they believed it was some sort of curse to have borne such a mangled kit. As far as Yuri has told me, her early days she was taken care of by the other cast offs of the village although even they refused to admit to it for fear of being completely ostracized by the others." Umi unbraided her hair and let it hang over her shoulders. "She grew up learning to take care of herself, fighting for survival every single day but she never hurt anyone. She was always kind to other people even when they were mean to her. Although that doesn't mean that she was always even tempered."

They sat in silence for a while before they all tensed at the large aura coming closer to them from deep inside the forest. "What is that?" Miroku asked as they watched the darkness move slightly. "Who's there? Show yourself!" Inuyasha stood with his sword at the ready. "Stand down Inuyasha." Umi said as she too stood and walked towards the edge of the clearing. "What do ya mean stand down? That thing is probably dangerous!" Inuyasha barked and glared at Umi. "Yeah she probably is dangerous but Yuri wouldn't hurt us. She's just checking to make sure everything is alright." A soft whine came from the darkness in response. A spark from the fire lit up the large white fox and the overly large mouth with rows of fangs could be seen. Kagome screamed in surprise at the grotesque face of Yuri's true form. The fox flinched and growled in response before disappearing into the darkness with a speed that was faster than Umi thought she had. Angrily Umi turned on Kagome with a flash of anger in her eyes. "Why did you do that!? How could you!?" She slapped Kagome across the face in her rage. Kagome shook her head in confusion. "I'm sorry it just startled me that's all! I didn't mean to hurt her feelings! I didn't know that it was Yuri!" She begged for forgiveness but Umi wasn't feeling very forgiving towards someone that had offended her closest friend.

"Is that how you treat someone who looks different than the norm? Now who knows when she will come back?" Umi growled and went to the edge of the clearing before she lost her cool and beat a little sense into Kagome's thick skull. "She really didn't mean it Umi." Miroku tried to console her but backed off when she growled at him. She knew that it would be pointless to go after Yuri when she was like this, but she did hope that Yuri would come back, if anything to make sure Umi was safe. She didn't know this world anymore due to her long absence in the future. "Please come back Yuri." She murmured noticing that Inuyasha had taken up a seat next to her. "She'll come back. She's a lot tougher than she looks right?" Inuyasha said crossing his arms and waiting with her throughout the rest of the night.

In the morning Umi slowly opened her eyes to the peaceful sunlight streaming through the branches above them. Jolting awake she looked all around the camp in search of Yuri. She deflated a little when she didn't see the short dark haired girl. "I guess she isn't back yet." She mumbled to herself before getting up to stretch her limbs. Did she leave for good because of Kagome? A second later she heard a soft rustling of leaves on her left and recognized the short black hair and the gleam of the metal armor on her arm. "Hey." Yuri said softly as she walked into the clearing. Umi smiled softly at the return of her friend and noticed that Inuyasha was walking behind her a soft blush on his face. "Sorry it took me so long I got…lost for a while." Yuri smiled shyly and plopped down a couple of fat rabbits right next to Kagome's sleeping face causing the girl to jolt awake in an instant. "Yuri! You're back!" Yuri's eyes narrowed slightly as she knelt down to Kagome's eye level on the ground. "You pissed me off pretty badly last night Kagome. I have been screamed at and called hideous my entire life but I would have thought someone who has so willingly accepted so many different people into your life of different races, religions and species would have a little more tolerance than what you showed last night. If I was any less of a good and tolerable person I would have torn you to shreds last night and not felt any bit of remorse for your demise." Kagome's face paled at Yuri's words but the fox was not yet done. "But, seeing as how I am not as beastly as my true form would suggest I will let you live so long as you apologize and promise to never do anything of the like to anyone or anything else in my presence ever again. Also you must bring twice as much candy as you usually do."

Kagome swallowed audibly and nodded before straightening up in front of Yuri. "Yuri, I am really sorry, I had no idea and from the bottom of my heart I sincerely apologize to you. It just startled me is all, I have never seen you…well…that way and I promise to bring you as much candy as you want." Yuri nodded and stood up. "Good. I will hold you to that. Now there is the matter of breakfast. Also it seems there is an issue when it comes to our travels to the north." Yuri crossed her arms and flipped her hair from her face. "What issue are you talking about?" Miroku asked curiously. "While I was out and about last night I stumbled upon the village where we were headed and the whole village is completely destroyed. I wasn't able to figure out how or why it was destroyed but the entire place is covered in this foul smelling miasma, making it nearly impossible for anyone to sniff anything out." Everyone in the group except for Umi and Yuri seemed shocked at the news.

"What's with all the weird faces around here all of a sudden?" Yuri asked curiously. "As we suspected. Naraku is behind all of this." Miroku said between clenched teeth and Inuyasha let out an annoyed growl. "Uh, sorry but who is Naraku?" Umi and Yuri asked simultaneously. "What do you mean who is Naraku? Umi I can understand but Yuri, you've been around here this whole time and you don't know who he is?" Shippo said simply. The fox demon shrugged and shook her head in total confusion. "I didn't care too much except to get my revenge on miko's to bother learning anything else. Besides once I found the well I pretty much stuck around there most of the time. In case you haven't realized I'm not much of a social person." The group gave a collective sigh of understanding before launching into the story of the evil Naraku. Afterwards Yuri and Umi crossed their arms in unison as the new information sank in. "Hm. Well he doesn't sound too pleasant." Yuri mumbled as she reached for a piece of cooked rabbit.

Umi shook her head as she thought about it. "Something doesn't make sense. If this demon is so powerful that you guys haven't finished him off yet then why would he bother with this jewel you're all after?" Inuyasha and the others balked at her question which sounded a little like an insult. "What do you mean by that huh?! You tryin to pick a fight with me?" Inuyasha barked at Umi which made Yuri stand instantly in protection out of habit. Umi sighed and rubbed her temple. "Yuri, Inuyasha relax will you? Why don't we go check out the village anyways and see what we can find." Umi suggested and they broke camp shortly after. Yuri took the lead again only this time Inuyasha stood next to her while Umi and the others held back. It only took about an hour on foot to get to the edge of the village where miasma lingered, soaking into the soil itself, mixed with the blood of the villagers. "Naraku was here alright. This whole place reeks!" Inuyasha covered his nose with his sleeve while Yuri pulled out a mask similar to Sango's and placed it over her face to keep her sensitive nose from getting overwhelmed. "I always wondered where this miasma came from in my travels. Well, shall we take a look?" Yuri started walking towards the center of the village, not waiting for a reply from anyone but knowing that someone would follow. "Here Umi take this. It should help keep some of the smell out from your nose." Kagome handed her a paper medical mask that was used in surgeries in the future. Umi nodded and quickly followed after Yuri and Inuyasha.

"I wonder why he would even bother with a place like this? It's so tiny and doesn't look like it would be very wealthy." Kagome asked as they entered the village. Yuri wandered into a burnt out husk of a nearby hut. "Hey you be careful in there Yuri!" Umi called out as they walked into the center of the village hearing a soft response in return. As they entered the center they could see just how much destruction there was in the village. There were mostly decayed bodies of the slaughtered villagers, littering the vicinity many of them had faces of anguish and agony from their last moments on this world. "This is horrible. It looks like they suffered." Umi said with a sad look in her eyes. "Let us give them a proper burial while we are here." Miroku suggested and everyone agreed. As they started lining up the dead Umi realized that Yuri was nowhere in sight and she guessed that she was still rummaging in the empty hut but she didn't know why. "Yuri? Can you help us out over here?" Umi called out and heard a rustling noise before Yuri popped out of the house her face clouded as she held a small lifeless bundle. "Yuri?" Umi asked softly, reaching out a hand to see if her friend was alright but stopped when she saw the single tear roll down her face. "I was too late…" She said in a soft, sad whisper.

The group was silent a moment before Miroku took a step towards Yuri and the deceased infant. "We will give them all a proper burial. Come on Yuri, let me see the little one so I can give it blessings." Yuri gave a warning growl as his hand attempted to touch the infant in her arms. "No! I will do it! She deserves that much from me!" Yuri growled and stormed off to where they had started digging the graves for the villagers. She grabbed a shovel and without letting go of the infant started to dig with one hand. The others watched her single-minded determination as she dug the tiny grave for a moment before they joined in to help with the remaining bodies. They worked in silence before they noticed that Yuri had stopped digging and was holding the infant in her arms, looking at the tiny face while tears streamed down her face, cutting the dirt off her cheeks to show her pale face underneath. Umi had never seen Yuri like this before. Sure she was always sad when there was death around but she didn't know why this affected her so much now.

"I'm so sorry little one. You didn't deserve this, neither did your family or friends. Please forgive me. Forgive me for doing nothing while your village burned before my very eyes. Forgive me for listening to your death cries and doing nothing. I am selfish and I do not know of anything else but regret and agony. I could blame it on my world, the life and the hand I was dealt at birth but that is no excuse for what I did. Or rather, didn't do. I should have come to your aid sooner and because of my lack of action I have yet again allowed another innocent person die. Please be at peace knowing that I will spend the remainder of my days finding and destroying the menace that brought this upon you." Yuri spoke in a strangled voice before tightening the cloth the infant was wrapped in and setting it gently, tenderly into the grave. Kneeling in the blood soaked ground she bowed her head in silent prayer before gently covering the infant in the earth. The others looked on in shock and disbelief as they let her words sink in. Yuri wiped her face and stood while she one by one placed the villagers gently into their final resting places without a single word spoken. Miroku offered up a prayer as she covered each villager silently.

As they left the village behind them in silence Inuyasha stopped in front of Yuri with a dangerous glare. "Why didn't you save them? Why did you just watch them die?" He barked angrily but Yuri didn't answer, her blue eyes downcast and cloudy with her inner thoughts. Inuyasha growled and placed his hand on his sword. "Answer me!" Slowly Yuri's head lifted and her eyes were dead, void of any emotion. "Because I couldn't. When I transform I become nothing more than a beast with no control over my body. My instincts kicked in and refused to let me move, besides," Yuri blinked slowly," I would not have been able to save them anyways because I am not nearly powerful enough." Inuyasha looked stunned for a second before frowning slightly. "You should have at least died trying anyways. They didn't deserve to be cut down like that!" Yuri flinched at his harsh words and hung her head again. "I know they didn't." She said in a soft whisper. "Inuyasha that's enough. What's the point of dying trying to stop a single incident if you can live to fight another day and possibly stop it from ever happening again? Yuri doesn't deserve to be treated like this and if you guys can't see that she feels bad enough for what happened then you aren't really our friends. Come on Yuri. We are leaving." Umi reached out and grabbed Yuri's forearm, dragging her away from the group that watched in stunned silence. "Wait! Don't go Umi! It isn't safe out there!" Kagome cried out but Umi ignored her. She just couldn't stand there and watch Yuri get beaten up because they were too close minded. No real friend would do that to anyone no matter how messed up they were. Besides, Umi and Yuri could take care of themselves. Umi was the famous nine tailed fox wasn't she? And it was about time she acted like it.


	6. Chapter Five

**Author's note: **_**Woot! Now this one is a bit cheesy here and there with the whole friendship thing but I swear it gets better. As always enjoy and let me know what you think **____** Thank you!**_

Chapter Five

"You don't have to leave your friends because of me Lady Umi. I can hang back and protect you from the shadows if need be." Yuri said in confusion but Umi shook her head, a fire in her eyes that had been building since the night before when Kagome had screamed at Yuri's visage. "They aren't my friends if they can't be friends with you Yuri. You were my friend from the beginning and you waited for me to return, forsaking everything you could've ever had just because you had a hunch. Best friends till the end of time right?" Umi held up her pinky with a smile on her pretty face as she looked at Yuri who was holding back tears in her bright blue eyes.

"Till the end of time Umi." Yuri smiled happily and they pinky promised like they had when they were kits. They giggled softly together before looking around them curiously. "So where are we headed Lady Umi?" Yuri asked as she ran a clawed hand through her short bob of black hair. Umi nibbled her bottom lip nervously as she thought, unsure of what her next move was going to be. It wasn't like she had really planned it through very well, it was more of a spur of the moment thing. Curse her impulses! This is what happened when they were younger too! Yuri noticed her indecision and smiled slightly.

"Well why don't we just wander around till something interesting turns up? Unless you want to return to your lands and see if there is anything there that you want?" Umi thought for a moment, contemplating on whether or not she did want to see her old home after all these years. Did she want to see what happened to her home after all this time knowing that everything would be different?

Yuri waited patiently as always while Umi fought with her inner demons. She knew it would be hard for the both of them to go back and relive the worst parts of their lives no matter if they were older and better able to take care of themselves. Umi nibbled her lip and subconsciously started pacing back and forth as she always did when she was split between two options. Yuri pulled out a piece of jerky and started chewing on it while Umi attempted to make a decision. Yuri certainly wasn't the decision maker in their friendship, not when Umi was her lady of the South. Finally Umi stopped and looked in the general direction of the south. "Let's go home Yuri."

Yuri nodded and smiled softly at her friend as they started on their trek towards the remains of the Southern kingdom. "It should take a couple days if we travel like we did with Inuyasha's group. But we are demons and we could get there faster if we run. What do you say Umi?" Yuri chuckled mischievously as Umi smirked. "You know you can never catch up to me Yuri so why do you even bother?" Yuri smirked and took a few steps ahead, taunting her ward to try and step up to the challenge. "Well one day I might so why not try? Besides, I haven't run just to run since before you disappeared. And you're looking a little more sluggish than I remember."

Umi balked at the inference that she had gained pounds while living in the future. "Challenge accepted." Yuri smirked and picked up the pace a bit more. "Just stay where I can see you! I don't want to have a repeat if you know what I mean!" Yuri called out as Umi started running ahead, her demonic powers rushing through her veins. The long haired demoness slowed down a little bit as Yuri's words sank in.

As the two foxes ran it seemed as though their cares simply just slipped away. Yuri's eyes that were so clouded with darkness from her years alone was starting to lighten slightly with every well placed step she took.

They ran for so long that the skies had darkened and the stars had come out but they didn't stop. They were free, finally they were free. Free to be themselves, free from abuse, free from fear and ridicule, free from everything that had haunted them their entire lives. The wind flowed through their hair, Umi in the lead while Yuri trailed along behind, occasionally speeding up to Umi who was keeping a decent pace so she could keep up.

The forest fell around them, their limbs moving on instinct and flowing with such grace and ease that any who would look upon them would be able to see their beauty and the pure bliss in their faces. They may have grown in worlds of horror but at this moment none could see it. At this moment, with every breath, every leap and bound, they were just a couple of fox kits running for the sake of it.

At this pace it was only a matter of time before they came upon the outskirts of what had once been the Southern territory. The horizon lightened with the coming of dawn, the first few rays of light hitting the grass covered ground. Umi and Yuri came to a synchronized halt at the edge, mixed emotions clear on their faces as they steadied their breathing and heart beats. The sunlight shone on abandoned huts, many of them caved in and burned from a battle that had happened many, many years ago. A large crevice, like a gaping wound in the earth was clearly visible, several skeletal remains looking as though they had died trying to escape the depths of the crevice. Yuri hung back slightly, unsure as to how she felt about seeing her old hometown destroyed like this. Her life from day one had been a living hell here but she never wanted her fellow villagers to suffer and die in what seemed to be a horrific way. Umi took a deep breath and stepped into the village. As a Lady, she felt a certain horror for what had happened while she had been in the future world but as Yuri's life had been hell outside the palace walls, hers had been just as bad within those walls. They walked in silence, following alongside the deep gouge that led all the way up to the center of the palace.

Yuri touched the cracked stone in the courtyard with a nostalgic look in her eyes. "This was where you made me your body guard. This was where my life really began…" She mumbled, unsure if Umi had heard her as she stared at the once beautiful palace with a look of almost agony on her pale face. "It's…it's really gone…everything…everyone…" She whispered as tears started to well in her steel gray eyes. Yuri stood beside her and stared at the remains of the palace with a look of sadness for her lady's pain. The walls were stripped of any ornamentation, all the silver and gold, the stone carvings of Umi's family lineage and the beautiful depictions of important events were all destroyed. Ancient blood stained the grey stone in many places while other places were blackened as though by fire. All of the windows which were stained glass made by Umi's great grandmother by hand were blown out from a fire that had raged long ago from within. "Do you want to go inside?" Yuri asked and for a second it seemed as though Umi wanted nothing to do more than to run as far away as she possibly could but she steeled herself and slowly made her way through the large crumbling doorway that had once housed a magnificent set of cherry wood doors.

The inside of the palace was blackened and covered in ash. Hardly anything managed to survive unscathed from flames that had died out ages ago. Yuri tried not to pay attention to the outlines of figures that had been burned onto the stone walls in their death throes. Umi wandered up the mostly crumbled stone steps that led up to where her old room had once been only to stop and hesitate instead. "Do I really want to do this Yuri?" She asked in just barely a whisper of a voice that seemed hollow and Yuri didn't know how to answer her. "The choice is yours my lady. I follow you to the grave." Umi swallowed slowly as she placed her hand upon the charred door which crumbled into ash at her touch making her gasp in surprise and shock. The inside of the once beautiful room was ripped to shreds by huge claw marks as though someone had been too distraught to face the thought of Umi being gone, it also smelled faintly of dog for some reason although neither of them could pinpoint who the scent belonged to.

A pile of dead and dying flowers rested upon the remains of what had been Umi's bed, lovingly placed by an anonymous hand in spite of what the rest of the room showed. Umi walked past the bed and over to a large trunk that held her old weapons and armor from when she was a kit. "I hope that it's still in here…" Umi said to herself as she forced open the stuck lid and started digging inside, shifting through musty smelling old clothes. A couple of seconds later they were rewarded with the sound of metal clinking from deep within the trunk. "Yes!" Umi's steel gray eyes brightened as they focused on the contents. Pulling them out Yuri recognized the two sheaths and the deep purple hilts of the twin long swords that were Umi's pride and joy.

Umi lay the blades out on the dust covered floor on top of an old kimono of hers. Unsheathing the blades Yuri recognized the two very different blades in an instant. One was made of the most beautiful steel that was polished until it reflected a brilliant light used to blind its enemies and the other was a deep ebony steel that held a much darker power. When drawn in battle this particular blade would obliterate all senses of its enemy, sending them in complete darkness and even eventual madness. "Kageshi and Taiyou." Umi lovingly brushed her fingers alongside the black blade and then the white one, testing their edges to see their sharpness. Both blades had fared well in their many years of neglect and were still sharp enough to nick the skin instantly with a light touch.

Yuri smiled softly and leaned against the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest, finding a small sense of peace in seeing her lady so happy to see her favorite possessions had survived the test of time. But her sense of relaxation was short lived as she sensed a large powerful aura that was nearing the palace quickly. Umi noticed it as well and quickly attached her blades to her hips, getting into a fighting stance that had been ground into her since birth.

Yuri took her stance in front of Umi protectively unsheathing her own blade and holding it at the ready for the force that was nearing them. "Don't worry Umi I'll protect you." Yuri said instinctively only to hear a soft chuckle from her friend. "I've got your back Yuri. Just don't you dare die on me, got it?" Yuri smirked and nodded. "Yes my lady." They stood there as the force made its way towards them only to stop in the doorway.

There stood a tall, silver haired man with purple stripes on his high cheek bones underneath a pair of cold yellow eye's that seemed to look right through you. "Who are you?" He asked coldly as he stared at the both of them carefully, claws at the ready for a battle. "Who are you and what are you doing here? Was it you who destroyed my Lady's childhood room?" Yuri growled as she recognized the dog scent rolling off of him in waves. His eyes narrowed dangerously as he focused his attention solely on Yuri. "You dare threaten me you filthy fox? I'll make sure that will be the last thing you ever do." He lifted his clawed hand slowly as light emitted from his well-manicured hand. Just as he was about to strike his gaze wandered to Umi who was standing at the ready for Yuri's signal when he suddenly stopped.

"I know you. What is your name?" He pointed his clawed finger at Umi who narrowed her eyes in skepticism. "Well I don't know you so why don't you turn around and back away and I won't kill you." Umi growled not caring that the man's cold gaze turned even frostier, giving Yuri goose bumps on her arms. "When I ask you a question you answer me or forfeit your life." The even way he spoke sent a chill down Yuri's spine, all of her hairs stood on end as she felt the swirling auras around her from Umi and the strange dog demon.

Yuri wasn't sure if she was strong enough to fend off the dog seeing as how she was only a mere two tail to Umi's nine but her duty was to protect her till she couldn't draw a breath anymore. "Don't threaten her! If you don't leave I'll kill you before you can even think of drawing your blade!" Yuri moved in front of Umi and pointed her blade at the man who focused on her with a frown that would force terror into a lesser heart but Yuri was determined to do her duty even if it meant her death.

A second of tense silence was broken as a light whip struck Yuri in the abdomen making her gasp in pain as acid seeped into her blood stream. But Yuri grit her teeth and held her ground much to the dog's surprise. "I will protect Umi with my life. I am her body guard and no dog will make me abandon my duties." She said through clenched teeth as pain wreaked havoc on her insides. "Are you alright Yuri?" Umi asked in concern as she came up to her side, placing a hand on her shoulder as Yuri nodded. "I'll be fine. A little acid never killed anyone right?" Yuri chuckled halfheartedly and took a step closer to the dog who raised his deadly claws again. Yuri swung her blade expertly and barely dodged another acid whip that managed to graze her cheek causing her to hiss as she heard her skin sizzle, burning and attempting to heal at the same time. In the tight quarters it was difficult for her to move around like she wanted to but she made another lunge for the man only to feel five points of agony erupt in her belly that made her lose her grip on her blade entirely.

"Yuri!" Umi yelled out and the man removed his blood soaked claws from the depths of her stomach with a satisfied smirk on his face. "Umi…run!" Yuri gasped out as she struggled to keep conscious through the dizzying pain. She heard Umi move forward, twin blades at her sides as she launched herself at the man who easily dodged her wild attacks.

"Just hang on Yuri! I got your back remember?" Umi said as Yuri started shaking while her body attempted to remove the toxins that were trying to eat up her insides. Umi swung her blades one after another although after all those years of not using them she was a bit rusty on her technique and couldn't harness their true powers just yet. The dog demon seemed to notice this and took advantage of it, quickly disarming her and lifting her over his broad shoulders, scooping up the blades and disappearing in a flash of white, Umi kicking and screaming for him to let her go. Yuri felt her heart shatter as she watched Umi being once again taken away from her.

"No!" She cried out and lifted her body up from a pool of her own blood that was literally boiling from the acid within. She had failed again! She grabbed her sword with a bloody hand and made her way down the steps, her blood leaving a gruesome trail as her other hand attempted to hold in her belly where a gaping hole was bubbling fiercely. Her legs shook and finally gave out as she started reaching the bottom causing her to fall down several flights of unforgiving stone stairs, several telling cracking sounds alerting her to several broken bones. But she couldn't give up now. She had to get to Umi. It was her duty! That damn dog didn't know who he was dealing with.

She managed to bring herself up to standing again, using her blade as a crutch to exit the palace and slowly making her way to the outskirts of the village with many silent curses and gasps of agony. She could only barely catch Umi's scent headed towards the east along with the dog's scent but she wouldn't, couldn't give up now. She wandered into the forest, using the trees and her blade for support as best she could in spite of the major blood loss. Her vision started to get blurry and she started getting disoriented among the similar looking trees, the smell of her own tainted blood starting to cloud her nose.

"Umi…just hold on…" She whispered as she came to the edge of a small river, her body giving out and refusing to move anymore as she collapsed onto the stony river bank. She rolled over onto her side, an arm outstretched in the direction she figured Umi had been taken before exhaustion overcame her and her blue eyes closed, and the sound of the slowly moving river soothing her into sweet oblivion.


	7. Chapter Six

**Author's note: **_**Okay so to those reading this, this is a short chapter but I promise that there shall be more to come. I'm not too keen on the chapters with Umi's perspective but I shall try to be fair and give her her fair shot. I've written all the way up to about chapter twenty but still have a few tweaks seeing as how I changed my mind about a few things. As always I love feedback so please let me know what you all think! Thank you!**_

Chapter Six

Umi watched in horror as Yuri's blue eyes clouded over in agony and total failure while she was carried off on the man's shoulder. "Yuri!" She cried out but it was too late and the demon was too fast. She yelled and clawed at the man's armor until her hands started to bleed from the force but he seemed not to care. "Put me down! I'm going to kill you for this you damn dog!" She screamed as she bit down hard on his exposed shoulder only to gag as she tasted the acid from his blood on her tongue. "You are going to come with me Umi as it was always intended." She stopped for a second, a frown of confusion on her face before she realized that the ground was miles below them making her scream in fear, her claws digging into his skin.

"I am not going anywhere with you, you freak! PUT. ME. DOWN!" She yelled and attempted to squirm out of his strong grasp but couldn't twist her way out from the position she was in. "If you don't stop moving then I will be forced to drop you and not even a fox of your stature would survive the fall." His cold voice sent a shiver down her spine as his words sunk in. "Death would be better than being treated like this…" She mumbled without thinking about it only to scream as she felt her body being tossed aside, the wind rushing through her long black hair. This was it. She was going to die. Her heart raced in terror as she looked up at the man who was standing on some sort of cloud, the sun light reflecting off his long silvery hair, his yellow eyes cold as they stared down at her.

She felt a tear escape from her eyes unwillingly, knowing that Yuri was somewhere out there probably dying in an attempt to go after her and here she was falling to her own death at the hands of this handsome although psychotic dog demon whoever he was. A second later she heard a strange whooshing sound of something large moving through the air below her before she landed hard on something wearing what seemed to be a saddle. Wincing in pain she noticed a young human girl smiling at her from beside a small green toad man holding a two headed staff and glaring at her. "You're lucky Lord Sesshomaru decided to spare your life fox. Otherwise you'd be splattered all over the ground by now!" The toad grumbled and Umi managed to sit upright and rubbed the bruise she knew she was bound to have from the impact. "Hello! My name is Rin! What's your name?"

The little girl asked causing Umi to blink in confusion, unsure as to what was going on now. A second ago she was headed to her early grave but now she was being saved at the last minute by what appeared to be his traveling companions? This world was a lot more confusing than she remembered it being.

"Uh, I'm Umi." She looked around and realized the thing she was sitting on was a two headed dragon demon that was also flying in the air. "Hi Umi! That's a pretty name. Are you a demon like Lord Sesshomaru?" Umi was about to answer when the little toad spoke up instead. "Unlikely. Lord Sesshomaru is the greatest demon lord to ever exist! None come even close to his prowess and abilities." Umi's steel grey eyes narrowed before she picked up the small toad and brought his ugly face to hers.

"I hope you realize that I am Lady Umi, nine tailed fox and heiress to the Southern lands. If anything you should be wondering if this Sesshomaru is as great a demon as I am. Now tell me how to fly this thing so I can get the hell out of here." Umi grabbed for the reigns of the dragon demon only to have her hands smacked by the staff of the toad thing. "Master Jaken! That's not very nice!" Rin exclaimed while Umi attempted to fly the dragon but the beast refused to take any directions from her.

"I wouldn't suggest doing something you might regret later Lady Umi. You have no choice but to come with me." The dog demon, Sesshomaru, said as he led the way nonchalantly. 'Great. Now how was she going to get back to Yuri?'


	8. Chapter Seven

**Author's note: **_**Alright sorry that I haven't updated in a bit but I was a little busy doing some chapter writing for the final parts of the story. I must say that I am starting to really like where it is all going. I hope you guys like it as well. As always I don't mind constructive criticism or anything of that! Let me know what you think and I'll keep posting. Thank you! Ps: Sorry this is kinda long…got caught up writing it and didn't know where to stop!**_

Chapter Seven

"I think she's dead. What about you Ginta? Should we tell the boss?" A voice stirred Yuri slightly from her suddenly uncomfortable spot on the stony bank of the river where she had fallen who knew how long ago. "Nah. It's only a fox demon, he isn't going to care about her anyways." Another male voice said above her, a second later she felt a sharp stab of what she could only assume was a stick in her side where her wounds from the dog demon were still refusing to heal. "Looks like she was in quite a battle. Poor girl." She felt another stab only this time it felt even more painful than the first one, causing her to let out a soft moan of agony.

"AH! She's alive!" They cried out in terror, jumping back from her as she attempted to get back on her feet. "What are you two idiots screaming about over here?" A third male voice but Yuri was more focused on trying to get on her hands and knees, her lower half refusing to listen to her. Her wounds started spewing more blood with every movement. "Whoa hold it there miss, you'll kill yourself if you move anymore."

The third man came over and reached out to touch her, causing her to wince in pain. "I…need…to get…to Umi…" She gasped out as she pulled herself forward only to fall back down as a sharp agonizing pain ripped through her stomach.

"You won't do anyone any good in this condition. Whoever this Umi is I'm sure she will be fine until you get healed up. Come on, let me take care of you." Yuri yowled in agony as the man lifted her up in his arms bridal style. "Who are you?" She murmured as she felt herself slipping into unconsciousness once again from the sheer amount of pain running through her body. She thought that she could smell wolf demon through the thick coating of her blood but she wasn't too sure.

The man smiled down at her with bright blue eyes. "Koga. Now hold on okay? You'll get fixed up in no time I promise." She thought that she had said something but wasn't sure as she slipped into fitful slumber.

Sometime later she found herself lifting her mind out of the darkness of her nightmares, laying in an unfamiliar room that was lit by a small fire against a stone wall. She looked around and discovered she had been cleaned up and dressed in dark brown furs instead of her usual armor, her collection of sutras had been removed and her wounds had been dressed.

She was still very weak and her whole body was still fighting off the poison inside. Yuri attempted to sit up only fall back down as pain shot through her again. "You shouldn't move for a while fox. The poison in your blood is very potent and you need to rest so your body will fight it off. There was also a small infection that had seeped into your system.

If Koga hadn't brought you in when he did you would have burned up from the inside out." An old wolf demoness said from beside her pallet of furs and dried grass which was surprisingly comfortable. "What's your name young one?" She asked and Yuri hesitated, suspicious of what was going on.

"Don't worry. You are safe here. Whoever did this to you can't touch you here. You are under Koga's protection." Yuri seemed to vaguely remember the man that had picked her up before losing consciousness but she still wasn't very trusting.

Years of being on her own had certainly ruined that facet of herself for the rest of eternity. The old woman sighed and dipped her hands into some warm water inside a wooden bowl, lifting a clean cloth from its depths. "You still have a slight fever so I do0n't want you moving around too much until we can get it under control. May I check your wounds?" Yuri frowned slightly but something told her to just let her do what she needed.

Besides if they had wanted her dead they would have just let her die on the edge of the river. She nodded and lay her head back down on the soft furs while the woman removed the blankets from Yuri's belly, exposing already blood soaked strips of cloths wrapped across her midsection. "This might sting a bit but I need to make sure it is clean so as to help get rid of the infection." The lady warned as she started unwrapping her wound to reveal a set of five deep punctures deep in her flesh, the acid had burned the finger sized holes all around the edges, turning her veins dark under the skin all around the wound.

Looking at it Yuri couldn't remember the last time a wound was this bad in all her days. Yuri fought back a yelp as the woman placed the warm cloth to her tender skin, her claws gripping the furs around her so tight her claws ripped through the hides and dug slightly into her palms.

"Just bear with it a little while longer. I'll go as fast as I can." The woman assured her and hurried with her work with practiced hands. Not quickly enough Yuri was once again wrapped in fresh cloths and the furs were replaced on top of her slightly trembling body. "My name is Yuri. I am the body guard of Lady Umi of the Southern Lands. Where am I?" Yuri asked as the woman applied a cool cloth to her forehead to wipe away some of the sweat, placing it there to cool her feverish head.

"You are in the Eastern den of Koga and the wolf demon tribe. Koga found you lying half dead by the side of a river and brought you here for treatment. I am Maki, the healer."

The woman smiled kindly and brushed aside a stray black hair from Yuri's face. "What happened to you out there Yuri?" Maki asked and Yuri fought back her tears. "I was traveling with my Lady and we had returned to our old territory to retrieve some of her personal items when we were attacked by some stupid dog demon. He wounded me and stole Umi away from me. I have failed her yet again." Yuri closed her eyes biting back her pain as best she could.

Maki was quiet a moment before the sound of fur being pushed back from the entryway made her open her eyes again. Standing there was the man who had picked her up and brought her here in the first place. "Ah so the fox lives!" He smiled and came to stand beside Maki at Yuri's bedside. "Her name is Yuri and I thought I told you not to come in here until she is well enough for visitors!" Maki stood and placed her hands on the man's broad chest, gently pushing him backwards.

"I just wanted to see how she was doing Maki I swear! She seemed pretty determined to get to someone named Umi and I wanted to see how the healing was going." Yuri flinched at Umi's name. She really hoped that her lady was alright and still alive.

"Well as you can see it's going just fine now leave Koga! She needs her rest. I'll be back to check on you in a while Yuri. You just close your eyes and get some sleep." Maki shoved Koga out the door and closed the fur over the entrance behind them, leaving Yuri there in her misery alone. She didn't know what was wrong with her. Being alone should be as much a part of her as breathing but now, now it was as though she was a kit again where there was no one but her in her small world. Umi.

Yet again she had failed to protect her. She wondered why Umi had even chosen her in the first place. Was it simply out of pity? Or was it because she was rebelling against her role as a Lady and wanted to show her parents that she would do whatever she wanted regardless of the consequences? Yuri was useless. Tears flowed from her eyes silently as she willed herself to feel as much pain as possible as punishment for abandoning her duties.

Umi had given her a purpose in her otherwise purposeless life and now what was she to do? She didn't know where Umi was or even if she was still breathing. She couldn't even take care of herself much less Umi.

Yuri's mind flashed back to all the times Umi had come to her aid instead of the other way around. Pretty soon she found herself drifting in and out of sleep. There were a few times when she thought she smelled Maki come in and check on her and her wounds but there were also a lot of times where she smelled Koga more so than Maki in her room.

She wasn't sure as to why he had even bothered to get her fixed up in the first place seeing as how she was only a fox demon, and not a very good one in that case. But something about him both unsettled and calmed her at the same time, making her unsure as to his true intentions with her. Regardless of what he had planned she still had a duty to do.

No matter what she had to return to Umi. Finally her eyes fluttered open to a darkened room, the flames had gone out in the corner of room and her heart started racing in terror.

All of her life she had been terrified of being in the dark, unable to see possible enemies clearly. She bolted upright, her wounds threatening to reopen with the force of her movement as she pushed herself as close to the wall at her back as she could. She couldn't risk being attacked from behind, and in her condition taking another fatal wound would be the end of her, then who would be able to take care of Umi?

She felt something moving beside her and in a panic she landed a heavy kick to the possible intruder. The kick caused the intruder to groan in pain. "Whoa there Yuri! Chill out will ya! It's just me!" She heard Koga's voice but until there was light she was not going to trust her other senses, not even a little bit. Besides what the hell would a wolf be doing lying in bed with a fox like her anyways? Was he planning on lulling her into a false sense of security before doing away with her?

How many more of his men would be lying in wait just to finish her off? She kicked him again, her voice stuck in her throat in sheer panic at being in the dark. She felt her barriers weaken and a second later brilliant blue fox fire lit up the remains of the fireplace, casting the room in light and allowing Yuri to get her bearings finally.

The room was pretty much empty save for Koga who was curled up on his side, clutching at his lower regions with a grimace of pain on his face. Yuri's heart rate started to slow as the light illuminated her surroundings and she was no longer surrounded by darkness.

"Well…you're a good shot I'll give you that much…" Koga groaned as he rolled off the pallet of furs and straightened himself out. Yuri remained silent as she pushed herself up against the wall again cautiously, her suspicions still remaining of his intentions with her. Looking at him she noticed that his long black hair was down, cascading over broad tanned shoulders, his sky blue eyes foggy with interrupted sleep, one of his strong hands placed on his hip while the other brushed his bangs from his face.

"What's gotten into you?" He asked looking at her with a confused look on his face. There was no way she was going to tell him that she was afraid of the dark, not when he could very easily use that to his advantage if he wanted to kill her. Koga frowned when she didn't respond, running a clawed hand through his thick hair in frustration.

"Look," He said coming closer to the pallet of furs, stopping when she pressed even closer to the wall, "If I wanted to kill you then why would I bring you here and have you fixed up? Will you just relax a bit, you'll reopen your wound if you keep moving around like that." He stared directly into her eyes and after several tense moments Yuri decided that it would be in her best interest to do just as he said seeing as how she could feel her skin pulling, trying to keep it together.

Koga sighed as he watched her slowly sit back down on the furs but she never once took her eyes off of him. "Why did you bring me here?" She asked curtly, making him blink in surprise at the sound of her voice. He thought for a moment before tentatively taking a seat back on the fur pallet facing her and crossing his arms across his strong chest.

"I'm not really sure myself but you seemed in pretty bad shape yet you still wanted to get back up and get to wherever it was you were going. It shows real dedication and loyalty to keep moving when you're moments away from dying yourself. It's a very wolf like quality and I admire that."

Yuri frowned at him, unsure of his reasoning. "But that doesn't make sense. I don't know you and you don't know me. You have no reason to even bother with a fox like me." Koga shrugged and started to pull his long hair back into a ponytail, tying it with a strip of leather.

"Call it idle curiosity then. I wanted to know why you were so determined that you were willing to kill yourself to get it." Yuri narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "So tell me. Who is this Umi you're so desperate to get back to? Is she your…"He turned a slight shade of pink, "your…your mate?" Yuri's jaw dropped in shock at his question.

"No! She is not my mate! I am her body guard you sick bastard!" Yuri barked causing Koga to lift his hands in defense. "I'm sorry! You just seemed so-I don't know!" Yuri bristled with indignation, her claws clenched in preparation to teach the wolf a lesson he wouldn't soon forget. "I already said I'm sorry! I didn't know!" Koga tried to back pedal and save himself and if Yuri hadn't been so hurt still she would have launched herself at him.

"I am the body guard to Lady Umi, nine tailed fox heiress to the Southern lands. She was kidnapped under my watch and I need to get to her as soon as possible. Some dog…" Yuri stopped and thought for a moment about the dog demon. She knew him.

"Damnit! That was Sesshomaru!" She slammed her fist hard into the wall next to her causing it to crack slightly under the force of her anger. "She was kidnapped by Sesshomaru? What would he want with her anyways?" Koga thought, rubbing his chin with a slight frown on his face.

"I don't know. Every time I've run into the fluffy pants bastard he's more concerned with getting more powerful than his father…" Yuri tapped the wall with her claws as both of them sat in silence trying to figure out Sesshomaru's angle. "Wait, how do you know Sesshomaru?" Yuri asked and Koga shrugged.

"I know his younger brother Inuyasha and we've met a few times. Never on good terms." Yuri stared at him in confusion. "You know Inuyasha?" He nodded. "Regretfully he is taking care of my fiancé while I hunt down Naraku although that mutt doesn't seem to be doing a good job at it. Kagome's always crying and upset whenever I visit." Yuri looked at him like he was insane.

Kagome was always upset with Inuyasha because she was in love with him and the dumb pup couldn't even see it. She wondered if Kagome even knew that Koga was proclaiming that she was his fiancé to the whole world.

"Uh-huh…right your fiancé…As fun as this was I really need to find Umi if you don't mind, I would like my personal items returned to me and I will be on my way." Yuri made a move to get off the bed but paused as Koga stood up and crossed his arms over his chest again, puffing it out to look more intimidating than he really was.

"Not like that you aren't. Your fever only broke just last night and you haven't fully healed yet. What makes you think that you can just up and leave like that?" Yuri huffed in disregard and continued on her way to standing, her legs still weak from the battle. "And what makes you think that I can't? I've been taking care of myself since I was born and I thank you for saving me and getting me to this point but I have a duty that I must return to. I can take care of myself from here on out." She hissed slightly as she felt her body scream at her in protest of the movement.

She would have to just take it easy, maybe hole up in a den for another day to allow ample time for healing, but after that she needed to head towards the west to find Umi.

Koga watched her with narrowed eyes, his brown tail waving back and forth in agitation. "What? Never had a woman tell you no before wolf? Please give me my things and I will be on my way." Yuri made her way slowly, painfully towards the entrance only to be blocked by Koga's body. She growled a warning up at him that she hoped he heeded because in spite of her outward bravado she was in a lot more pain than she wanted to be. He was right that she wasn't ready to leave just yet but what else could she do? She couldn't just sit there and wait while Umi was in danger.

"No. You are staying right here whether you like it or not." Koga said pointing his finger back at the bed. "So in essence, you are holding me here against my will?" His blue eyes blinked, unsure as to where she was going with this line of thought. "Which means that you are holding me hostage, which means that I have a right to fight to my freedom." He frowned down at her, leaning his face close to hers, so close that his breath rippled across her cheeks.

"You certainly have the right vixen but your problem is," His claws trailed lightly across her exposed belly right over her wounds making her gasp in sudden pain from the feather like touch. "You don't have the strength or the stamina at the moment to even last a minute against me." She nearly fell forward from the shock of his touch, her forehead coming to rest on his chest as she attempted to bring her breathing back to normal and get the pain under control again.

She bit her lip and closed her eyes. In retrospect the wolf's words were correct but she was too stubborn for her own good. She knew that she was no good until her wounds had fully healed and she was able to stand on her own two feet again. Until then she prayed that Umi would be alright without her. Seeing her distress, Koga helped guide her back to the pallet, propping her up and covering her with the furs when Yuri noticed that the flames were starting to get dangerously low.

"Would you mind feeding the fire…" She asked, her blue eyes never leaving the slowly dying flames, seeing the darkness starting to creep back into the small cave. Koga watched her with a curious look on his face before doing as he was asked, grabbing some sticks and a large log from just outside the doorway, stoking the fire back to life and putting Yuri at ease again.

"Thanks." She said as he started heading for the door again. "I'll have Maki bring you some food to eat." He looked over his shoulder at Yuri whose blue eyes were trained on the flames, setting her gaze aflame and causing a strange sensation in his chest before walking out of the cave to find Maki.


	9. Chapter Eight

**Author's note: **_**Ok so here is chapter number eight and so far I haven't had any bad reviews which is nice although there is only one review but it isn't bad! **____** Anyways this one is kinda short and I apologize…there will be a longer Umi chapter coming up eventually. I promise! Thank you and enjoy!**_

Chapter Eight

Umi flopped heavily onto the ground from her perch on Ah-Un the two headed dragon she'd been stuck on for several agonizing hours. Rin quickly followed after her and then finally Jaken as Sesshomaru gracefully dissipated his cloud and stepped lightly on the ground. "Jaken." His cold voice caused the imp to nearly jump out of his green skin. "Y-yes m'lord?" Sesshomaru turned to look over his shoulder slightly at Umi with his yellow eyes.

"I'm going to get food. If Umi disappears on your watch I will slice you up and feed you to Ah-Un for dinner, do you understand?" The imp cowered at the not so hidden threat on his life, grasping the two headed staff for dear life. "Of course Lord Sesshomaru! You can count on me!" Sesshomaru didn't even bother waiting around for Jaken's response before he was gone in a blur of motion into the thick forest.

"Ugh!" Umi moaned and started pacing around the small space between the trees where they were apparently going to camp out for the night. She reached for her swords only to find that they weren't where they were supposed to be making her more agitated than before.

"Stupid dog!" She growled, not noticing the looks she was getting from the others. "Lady Umi? Are you alright?" Rin asked as she started getting a fire ready for the supper Sesshomaru was supposed to be bringing back for them.

"No. I'm not ok. Yuri is out there bleeding to death and I'm stuck here with you lot. No offense but Sesshomaru kinda decided that it was perfectly fine to kidnap me for no apparent reason. And he stole my swords!" She yelled into the forest angrily. Rin came over and grabbed Umi's hand.

"Lord Sesshomaru isn't like that. He is a kind and beautiful Lord! It's because of him that I'm alive. I'm sure he had his reasons for attacking your friend Yuri." Umi looked down at her with a much darker stare than she probably should have, causing Rin to back away slightly. "There was no reason to attack her. He was on my land and attacked us first. This kind lord of yours shoved his claws into Yuri's stomach and left her there to die." Umi closed her eyes and started pacing again. "Humph! A fox demon like Yuri deserves what she got!" Umi instantly turned on Jaken, her steel eyes narrowed in rage.

The imp flinched as he realized his mistake a second too late when Umi picked him up and brought his face to hers. "She deserved it? And how do you think that could possibly be true?" She growled making Jaken shiver in fear. "Because she had attacked Lord Sesshomaru several years ago, wounding him terribly before disappearing!"

Umi faltered for a second, not putting it past Yuri to do just that, especially if she thought that her life was at risk. Yuri was nothing if not a survivalist. Even more so when she wasn't able to see or was in the dark. Umi shivered slightly at the thought of the last time she accidentally cornered Yuri in the pitch black of her room during a storm. "Either way no one deserves that kind of treatment and there is no reason for me to even be here still so if you don't mind I'll be on my way."

She tossed Jaken to the side and started heading for the woods only to be stopped by Sesshomaru's broad chest all of a sudden, causing her to take several steps back to catch her balance again. "You would leave your precious weapons here and risk being unprotected? Hm you are more foolish than I thought." He said as he tossed several fish in Jaken's general direction, his yellow eyes never leaving hers.

"What do you want with me anyways? I'm of no use to you so just take me back to my friend and I won't boil you alive!" She clenched her fists at her sides angrily. Sesshomaru brushed past her and sat leisurely against the base of a tree, his eyes alert although he didn't seem all that concerned that he had a very furious nine tailed fox demon glaring him down.

"You are my fiancé. Your only use to me is to bear my children just as my father's mate did for him." Umi's jaw hit the floor. "Excuse me?" She said in a low, menacing voice that was more threatening than anything. Sesshomaru didn't even budge, he simply stared at her matter-of-factly as though everything he had said made sense. "You and I will be mated." Sesshomaru didn't realize that he was treading on dangerous grounds.

Umi felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise, her demonic power raging just under the surface. "I don't think so." She growled, getting a slight rise out of the stoic dog as he lifted a finely sculpted eyebrow. "Oh? Is that so." He said seeming not to care in the least as to what she thought of the situation.

Umi stormed right up to Sesshomaru, his finely sculpted face looking up at her, his eyes revealing nothing of his thoughts. "You are going to give me back my weapons and you are going to bring me back to my friend and then you are going to never come near me or my friend ever again. Do you understand?" She placed her hands on her hips, glaring down at him with narrowed dangerously stormy grey eyes that would make Yuri cower in fear.

"You cannot intimidate me. And you will remain with me until we are officially mated. Yuri will either find you or she will die. If she does come looking for you then I will just have to deal with her as I did before." Umi growled and launched herself at the demon lord without really thinking it through before she did.

Sesshomaru anticipated her move, moving out of the way in a blur of motion that humans wouldn't be able to see but she could see rather easily due to her demonic powers.

In a flash Sesshomaru had her pinned down underneath of him, making it near impossible for her to move at all which made her even more hostile towards him. Oh she was gonna kill him!


End file.
